Chapter 8: Lost in the Mall
Summary:
This chapter is about the work and ideas of memories done by Dr. Elizabeth Loftus. Most of the chapter is about the idea of planting false memories in peoples minds and seeing if they believe them or not. The memory used was about the person getting lost in the mall which showed that many people did go along with the story and elaborate on it. Most of this work is offensive to many people because of the idea of sexual abuse victims and people being accused of really bad crimes maybe not being taken seriously. Loftus's work has added a confusing aspect to memory research.
Discussion:
This chapter wasn't as entertaining as the other but it made me think a lot. At the end of the chapter I recalled where I was when I heard about 9/11. I'm pretty sure I still remember correctly but how can I be sure? I think a lot of what Loftus says is valid but there needs to be some kind of scientific, absolute proof which we don't have.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Paper Reading #12: Cosaliency: Where People Look When Comparing Images
Comments:
Vince Kocks
Wesley Konderla
Reference Information:
Title: Cosaliency: Where People Look When Comparing Images
Authors: David E. Jacobs, Dan B. Goldman, Eli Shechtman
Presentation Venue: UIST’10, October 3–6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Summary:
Photographic triage is a problem people have when comparing photos. Which one should be kept and which ones should be deleted? There are certain factors that professional photographers look at during photo triage. These include image noise, motion blur, human poise, facial expressions, object orientation, parallax occlusions, disocclusions, and appearance. These factors are called local structure.
This paper discusses a learned model that is developed to calculate the importance of image pixels in context to other images. This feature is called cosaliency.
Before a model could be developed a user study was done using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. User's were asked to identify salient differences in a pair of similar photos. A map was created showing where user's thought was the most important. These generated maps are referred to as goal maps.
Several features are discussed on how to generate these maps without user interference. To validate these maps another study was done on Mechanical Turk. User's were asked to compare a set of photo crops and rank them based on utility used in the image triage task. The study showed that the generated maps from cosaliency to be better.
This work is limited to the pair of images to make testing practical. Photos in a real collection often appear in groups, not just pairs. The type of model created may not be appropriate for all kinds of photos. This framework is applicable for general photography. One thing to note is even though cosaliency can only be found for a pair of images, it was found to be more effective that working with a single image.
Discussion:
Before I comment on the paper I just want to point out that Mechanical Turk seems very popular for research. I read the paper about Amazon Mechanical Turk and ever since then many of my papers have included conducting research through it.
The idea of this paper should appeal greatly to professional photographers. The ability to quickly decide which photograph to keep and which to delete could save a lot of time. I think the limitation to only 2 images is reasonable for the time being but I'm interested to see what kind of other processes are created to deal with larger comparisons. I also liked how 2 different studies were done to validate their model.
The paper was a little confusing to follow but I think the images above (taken from the paper) will show best what the process does.
Vince Kocks
Wesley Konderla
Reference Information:
Title: Cosaliency: Where People Look When Comparing Images
Authors: David E. Jacobs, Dan B. Goldman, Eli Shechtman
Presentation Venue: UIST’10, October 3–6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Summary:
Photographic triage is a problem people have when comparing photos. Which one should be kept and which ones should be deleted? There are certain factors that professional photographers look at during photo triage. These include image noise, motion blur, human poise, facial expressions, object orientation, parallax occlusions, disocclusions, and appearance. These factors are called local structure.
This paper discusses a learned model that is developed to calculate the importance of image pixels in context to other images. This feature is called cosaliency.
Before a model could be developed a user study was done using Amazon's Mechanical Turk. User's were asked to identify salient differences in a pair of similar photos. A map was created showing where user's thought was the most important. These generated maps are referred to as goal maps.
Several features are discussed on how to generate these maps without user interference. To validate these maps another study was done on Mechanical Turk. User's were asked to compare a set of photo crops and rank them based on utility used in the image triage task. The study showed that the generated maps from cosaliency to be better.
This work is limited to the pair of images to make testing practical. Photos in a real collection often appear in groups, not just pairs. The type of model created may not be appropriate for all kinds of photos. This framework is applicable for general photography. One thing to note is even though cosaliency can only be found for a pair of images, it was found to be more effective that working with a single image.
Discussion:
Before I comment on the paper I just want to point out that Mechanical Turk seems very popular for research. I read the paper about Amazon Mechanical Turk and ever since then many of my papers have included conducting research through it.
The idea of this paper should appeal greatly to professional photographers. The ability to quickly decide which photograph to keep and which to delete could save a lot of time. I think the limitation to only 2 images is reasonable for the time being but I'm interested to see what kind of other processes are created to deal with larger comparisons. I also liked how 2 different studies were done to validate their model.
Book Reading #28 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 9: The Attitude of the Personality
Summary:
The word misu is used to express unwillingness and intractability. This is an attitude used in the Samoan culture. The way Samoans describe attitudes, emotions, and the person's most disliked trait, fiasili, is described. They way people are judged is also discussed. All of these descriptions are how Samoans verbally express these ideas.
Discussion:
The way Samoans think of people's attitudes is important bercause it reflects on a part of the society. I thought it was interesting how many of the people don't describe people directly by their positive attributes. One example given was describing a young boy, "..he runs errands efficiently and is wise enough to hold his tongue when..". The word fiasili means "stuck up" which is interesting that is the most undesirable trait.
Summary:
The word misu is used to express unwillingness and intractability. This is an attitude used in the Samoan culture. The way Samoans describe attitudes, emotions, and the person's most disliked trait, fiasili, is described. They way people are judged is also discussed. All of these descriptions are how Samoans verbally express these ideas.
Discussion:
The way Samoans think of people's attitudes is important bercause it reflects on a part of the society. I thought it was interesting how many of the people don't describe people directly by their positive attributes. One example given was describing a young boy, "..he runs errands efficiently and is wise enough to hold his tongue when..". The word fiasili means "stuck up" which is interesting that is the most undesirable trait.
Book Reading #27 - Emotional Design
Chapter 2: The Multiple Faces of Emotion and Design
Summary :
This chapter elaborates more on how the three levels of emotion work together and are used in design. The design for each level is different. The visceral level deals with what what we see, like first impressions. The behavioral level deals with use and experience with the product. The reflective level deals is the only level that both thought and emotion are experienced.
The levels of emotion can be mapped to the following product characteristics in design. The visceral design is linked with appearance. The behavioral design is linked to the pleasure and effectiveness of use. The reflective design is linked with self-image, personal satisfaction, and memories. The designer must know the audience.
The levels of emotion can also be used in marketing. These are given by examples such as video games.
Discussion:
This chapter felt like I was almost re-reading chapter 1. It seems like the main point to take away from the chapter is how the 3 levels of emotion described in the book are used in actual design and why they are important.
Summary :
This chapter elaborates more on how the three levels of emotion work together and are used in design. The design for each level is different. The visceral level deals with what what we see, like first impressions. The behavioral level deals with use and experience with the product. The reflective level deals is the only level that both thought and emotion are experienced.
The levels of emotion can be mapped to the following product characteristics in design. The visceral design is linked with appearance. The behavioral design is linked to the pleasure and effectiveness of use. The reflective design is linked with self-image, personal satisfaction, and memories. The designer must know the audience.
The levels of emotion can also be used in marketing. These are given by examples such as video games.
Discussion:
This chapter felt like I was almost re-reading chapter 1. It seems like the main point to take away from the chapter is how the 3 levels of emotion described in the book are used in actual design and why they are important.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Paper Reading #11: A Conversational Interface to Web Automation
Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2
Reference Information:
Title: A Conversational Interface to Web AutomationAccuracy
Authors: Tessa Lauy, Julian Cerruti, Guillermo Manzato, Mateo Bengualid, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Jeffrey Nicholsy
Presentation Venue: UIST’10, October 3–6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Summary:
This paper is about a conversational interface named CoCo.CoCo is an assistant that performs task for the user on the web and reports back the results. The limitations to this interface are it can only perform tasks that can be carried out on the web and if focuses on tasks with known outcomes, not sense-making questions.
CoCo works by taking text from the user and then parsing the request. A planning component then uses the commands to figure out what actions on the web will be taken to satisfy the request. Scripts are used to automate certain tasks so parameters are needed in the request. After a plan is established the parameters are plugged in and then the script is routed to a browser automation server which runs the script. Relevant portions from the web pages are then returned to the user. It is also worth noting that CoCo doesn't exactly need a script to run, it can also get arbitrary scripts from CoScripter Reusable History for a user.
CoCo can be used from SMS, Twitter, email, Android application with speech input, Unix command-line, lightweight web UI, and a REST API. An example of how CoCo interacts on Twitter is as follows.
Bob has the ability to forward calls from his work phone to his home phone when he is out of the office. Bob has created a CoScripter script to automate the task. Bob leaves work but forgets to run the script. He gets on Twitter and sends a directed message to CoCo saying 'forward phone calls to home'. CoCo finds the needed script based on the input, runs the script, then tells Bob the script completed successfully.
A couple areas of concern with CoCo is preventing mistakes and securing private information. If CoCo is capable of repeating any action you have previously done on the web via the CoScripter Reusable History what stops it from purchasing something you don't want or deleting something important? One plan is to develop the ability to recognize web actions that have side effects. Regarding private information, currently CoCo trusts in third party authentication systems. With future implementation a second layer of authentication might be provided.
Discussion:
CoCo seems like a very good idea and something that would be awesome to use in some cases. At the beginning of the paper the author talks about science fiction writers have written about computers that do whatever we tell them to and respond to complex commands with limited interaction. This is a step in that direction just with limitations compared to the science fiction version. I'm interested to see how this application is developed and how future products advance this idea.
Comment 1
Comment 2
Reference Information:
Title: A Conversational Interface to Web AutomationAccuracy
Authors: Tessa Lauy, Julian Cerruti, Guillermo Manzato, Mateo Bengualid, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Jeffrey Nicholsy
Presentation Venue: UIST’10, October 3–6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Summary:
This paper is about a conversational interface named CoCo.CoCo is an assistant that performs task for the user on the web and reports back the results. The limitations to this interface are it can only perform tasks that can be carried out on the web and if focuses on tasks with known outcomes, not sense-making questions.
CoCo works by taking text from the user and then parsing the request. A planning component then uses the commands to figure out what actions on the web will be taken to satisfy the request. Scripts are used to automate certain tasks so parameters are needed in the request. After a plan is established the parameters are plugged in and then the script is routed to a browser automation server which runs the script. Relevant portions from the web pages are then returned to the user. It is also worth noting that CoCo doesn't exactly need a script to run, it can also get arbitrary scripts from CoScripter Reusable History for a user.
 |
| Taken from the paper |
Bob has the ability to forward calls from his work phone to his home phone when he is out of the office. Bob has created a CoScripter script to automate the task. Bob leaves work but forgets to run the script. He gets on Twitter and sends a directed message to CoCo saying 'forward phone calls to home'. CoCo finds the needed script based on the input, runs the script, then tells Bob the script completed successfully.
A couple areas of concern with CoCo is preventing mistakes and securing private information. If CoCo is capable of repeating any action you have previously done on the web via the CoScripter Reusable History what stops it from purchasing something you don't want or deleting something important? One plan is to develop the ability to recognize web actions that have side effects. Regarding private information, currently CoCo trusts in third party authentication systems. With future implementation a second layer of authentication might be provided.
Discussion:
CoCo seems like a very good idea and something that would be awesome to use in some cases. At the beginning of the paper the author talks about science fiction writers have written about computers that do whatever we tell them to and respond to complex commands with limited interaction. This is a step in that direction just with limitations compared to the science fiction version. I'm interested to see how this application is developed and how future products advance this idea.
Book Reading #26 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 7: Rat Park
Summary:
Rat Park was an experiment done by Bruce Alexander where he wanted to study if difficult circumstances were lead to addiction rather than the chemical itself. Rat park is almost like an amusement park. It was large and comfortable and had everything a rat could want. The experiment put 16 rats in rat park and 16 rats in cages. The first test the rats access to a sweet mixture of morphine water as well as just regular tap water. The results showed that the rats in rat park did not take to the morphine water but the caged rats drank it consistently. The next study started with giving all the rats morphine water for 57 days so they were all junkies. The same settings as before were used and it was shown that the rats in rat parked stopped using or significantly cut back on morphine use despite showing signs of withdrawal. The caged rats did not stop. The author even did a test with pills and was inconclusive.
Discussion:
The chapter's in this book keep getting better. Even though this one took awhile to get down to business I found it fascinating. I never thought that the way we think of addiction as a society could be challenged. At the end of the chapter the author just seemed absolutely uncertain of which explanation to believe which I can understand.
Summary:
Rat Park was an experiment done by Bruce Alexander where he wanted to study if difficult circumstances were lead to addiction rather than the chemical itself. Rat park is almost like an amusement park. It was large and comfortable and had everything a rat could want. The experiment put 16 rats in rat park and 16 rats in cages. The first test the rats access to a sweet mixture of morphine water as well as just regular tap water. The results showed that the rats in rat park did not take to the morphine water but the caged rats drank it consistently. The next study started with giving all the rats morphine water for 57 days so they were all junkies. The same settings as before were used and it was shown that the rats in rat parked stopped using or significantly cut back on morphine use despite showing signs of withdrawal. The caged rats did not stop. The author even did a test with pills and was inconclusive.
Discussion:
The chapter's in this book keep getting better. Even though this one took awhile to get down to business I found it fascinating. I never thought that the way we think of addiction as a society could be challenged. At the end of the chapter the author just seemed absolutely uncertain of which explanation to believe which I can understand.
Book Reading #25 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 8: The Role of the Dance
Summary:
Dance is the only activity in which almost all ages and both sexes participate. There are no teachers and it is highly individualistic. The children learn to dance at the small informal dances and there are three styles to be chosen from, dance of the taupo, dance of the boys, and the dance of the jesters. Younger children normally learned by copying an older boy or girl.
Dancing is significant because nobody is told they are being presumed above their age and punished. They are encouraged to dance. There are two main ideas about Samoan dance that stand out. The first is the difference the children are treated. The second is the threshold of shyness is reduced.
Discussion:
Dancing in a culture is always interesting to read about. I liked this chapter because it wasn't about the dance itself it was about the culture's response to people and the events. I kind of get the feel that on the dance floor everybody is equal, this may not be true but it is certainly closer to this than the average Samoan day. I thought it was interesting to when the fact that shy or physically defective children were not as shy. The child with the turtle dance was cool to hear about.
Summary:
Dance is the only activity in which almost all ages and both sexes participate. There are no teachers and it is highly individualistic. The children learn to dance at the small informal dances and there are three styles to be chosen from, dance of the taupo, dance of the boys, and the dance of the jesters. Younger children normally learned by copying an older boy or girl.
Dancing is significant because nobody is told they are being presumed above their age and punished. They are encouraged to dance. There are two main ideas about Samoan dance that stand out. The first is the difference the children are treated. The second is the threshold of shyness is reduced.
Discussion:
Dancing in a culture is always interesting to read about. I liked this chapter because it wasn't about the dance itself it was about the culture's response to people and the events. I kind of get the feel that on the dance floor everybody is equal, this may not be true but it is certainly closer to this than the average Samoan day. I thought it was interesting to when the fact that shy or physically defective children were not as shy. The child with the turtle dance was cool to hear about.
Book Reading #24 - Emotional Design
Chapter 1: Attractive Things Work Better
Summary:
A study showed that a more attractive design is interpreted as easier to use than others. There are 3 levels of processing, visceral, behavioral, and reflective. When dealing with focus and creativity one could say that focus is encouraged by negative affects and creativity is encouraged by positive. This can be used in design by noting if the design is for something fun than there is more room for error but if it is something serious then it demands much more attention to detail. One way to accommodate both affects would be to add something such as sound. The example given is in a control room. Music is played when the situation is normal but when something goes wrong an alarm sounds and buzzers go off.
Discussion:
Leave it to Norman to add more aspects to design that I have not really thought of. Considering the things discussed in this chapter can greatly increase the quality of a design or even make it easier depending on if its serious or for fun.
Summary:
A study showed that a more attractive design is interpreted as easier to use than others. There are 3 levels of processing, visceral, behavioral, and reflective. When dealing with focus and creativity one could say that focus is encouraged by negative affects and creativity is encouraged by positive. This can be used in design by noting if the design is for something fun than there is more room for error but if it is something serious then it demands much more attention to detail. One way to accommodate both affects would be to add something such as sound. The example given is in a control room. Music is played when the situation is normal but when something goes wrong an alarm sounds and buzzers go off.
Discussion:
Leave it to Norman to add more aspects to design that I have not really thought of. Considering the things discussed in this chapter can greatly increase the quality of a design or even make it easier depending on if its serious or for fun.
Full Blog for "Design of Everyday Things"
Summary:
There are many factors to be considered in the design process that many people disregard everyday. These are simple factors that are linked to human psychology and the way we use everyday things.
Things we use in everyday life are sometimes overly complicated. It is very common for a user to blame themselves for not using the design properly when in fact, it is just a poor design.
A well done design gives the user clues on how to use it. It considers the fact that the human mind looks for clues to make sense of the world. The visual aspect of the product should not be so complicated that it hides all clues for the user. There are several more things that need to be considered when creating a design.
Having a good conceptual model is important as well as a user model. The needs of the user need to be the basis of the design. Standardizing is also something to be considered based on what type of product you are designing.
Keeping what the user knows or will need to know is important in a design. How will they obtain this information? Will they need prior knowledge or is the information obtainable in the world? These are good questions to ask while considering how the user will interact with a design.
Mapping and feedback should not be complicated. They way the interface is operated and how the functions are laid out are too complicated today. If the interface uses buttons then each button should do something different. If there are two similar functions then the buttons should be separated as not to be confused. Each button should be labeled somehow so the user does not get confused. After a function is executed feedback from the system should inform the user so they are not in question of its functionality.
Designing for error and creating constraints for the user is a subtle aspect of the design process but should not be forgotten. Errors are very common and cannot be avoided. If the design is done well then it will accommodate some of the common mistakes for the system somehow, forcing functions could be one way to improve error handling. By paying attention to the constraints you can prevent the user from doing certain actions. This is a form of clue for the user to figure out what is going on and possibly what needs to be done.
All of these aspects should be addressed when considering design. Psychology and a lot of the designs we deal with everyday affect how users approach and operate products and if this is kept in mind than a more successful design can be created.
Discussion:
I really enjoyed this book and it gave me a different perspective on an aspect of the design process that I had never really given much thought to. What I took mainly from this book was the actual things we can think of when designing something. The psychology just convinced me that what Norman was saying is indeed true and is important to consider.
All of the things described in this book are linked together by what kind of designs we see today, which are sometimes too complicated, and how we as humans approach tasks and todays designs effect on us. When thinking about the book in terms of what I've just described I actually think this book was brilliant.
There are many factors to be considered in the design process that many people disregard everyday. These are simple factors that are linked to human psychology and the way we use everyday things.
Things we use in everyday life are sometimes overly complicated. It is very common for a user to blame themselves for not using the design properly when in fact, it is just a poor design.
A well done design gives the user clues on how to use it. It considers the fact that the human mind looks for clues to make sense of the world. The visual aspect of the product should not be so complicated that it hides all clues for the user. There are several more things that need to be considered when creating a design.
Having a good conceptual model is important as well as a user model. The needs of the user need to be the basis of the design. Standardizing is also something to be considered based on what type of product you are designing.
Keeping what the user knows or will need to know is important in a design. How will they obtain this information? Will they need prior knowledge or is the information obtainable in the world? These are good questions to ask while considering how the user will interact with a design.
Mapping and feedback should not be complicated. They way the interface is operated and how the functions are laid out are too complicated today. If the interface uses buttons then each button should do something different. If there are two similar functions then the buttons should be separated as not to be confused. Each button should be labeled somehow so the user does not get confused. After a function is executed feedback from the system should inform the user so they are not in question of its functionality.
Designing for error and creating constraints for the user is a subtle aspect of the design process but should not be forgotten. Errors are very common and cannot be avoided. If the design is done well then it will accommodate some of the common mistakes for the system somehow, forcing functions could be one way to improve error handling. By paying attention to the constraints you can prevent the user from doing certain actions. This is a form of clue for the user to figure out what is going on and possibly what needs to be done.
All of these aspects should be addressed when considering design. Psychology and a lot of the designs we deal with everyday affect how users approach and operate products and if this is kept in mind than a more successful design can be created.
Discussion:
I really enjoyed this book and it gave me a different perspective on an aspect of the design process that I had never really given much thought to. What I took mainly from this book was the actual things we can think of when designing something. The psychology just convinced me that what Norman was saying is indeed true and is important to consider.
All of the things described in this book are linked together by what kind of designs we see today, which are sometimes too complicated, and how we as humans approach tasks and todays designs effect on us. When thinking about the book in terms of what I've just described I actually think this book was brilliant.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Paper Reading #10: Designing Adaptive Feedback for Improving Data Entry Accuracy
Comments:
Comment 1
Comment 2
Reference Information:
Title: Designing Adaptive Feedback for Improving Data Entry Accuracy
Authors: Kuang Chen, Joseph M. Hellerstein, Tapan S. Parikh
Presentation Venue:UIST’10, October 3–6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Summary:
Keeping track of data today is very important and the quality of the data is very important. For example in a clinic the data needs to be accurate taken from patients. USHER provides a theoretical, data-driven foundation for improving data quality during entry. Based on prior data, USHER learns a probabilistic model of the dependencies between form questions and values.
The best form designs include pre-determined constraints to reject or warn the user when they enter unlikely or illegal values. Some designs even insert cross-validation questions to double-check the accuracy of some questions. This double-check is something like a birthday entry field along with age.
The model USHER uses a given a subset of answers for a form and tries to accurately predict values for the unanswered questions. USHER also creates the ordering of questions on the form. This can be viewed like the game twenty-questions. You can narrow the answer down greatly depending on what order you ask the questions. USHER uses a static and a dynamic algorithm to select ordering.
To make filling out forms quicker widgets with either radio buttons, drop down menus, or auto-complete text fields were used based on the number of possible answers in the answer domain.
To test the technology and methods a study was done with professional data entry clerks working with
real patient data from six clinics in rural Uganda. From the study the percent of errors increases as the domain size increased, which was highest for the drop down box and auto-complete form.
A suggestion for improvement includes the double-entry method which a different study showed reduced errors but increased the time to fill out a form. The USHER is supposed to be the compromise between these two things.
Discussion:
I actually think the study done in this paper will be useful. Because data quality is very important in fields such as the engineering and medical fields it makes sense to find better and more efficient for clerks to record it. It's very interesting how the USHER model tries to predict answers based on previous answers. This is an interesting HCI subject because it deals with data quality which is important. It also effects people that may not have any relevant computer experience when it comes to this kind of interface, the clerks. It's up to the HCI community to implement this system and improve it.
Comment 1
Comment 2
Reference Information:
Title: Designing Adaptive Feedback for Improving Data Entry Accuracy
Authors: Kuang Chen, Joseph M. Hellerstein, Tapan S. Parikh
Presentation Venue:UIST’10, October 3–6, 2010, New York, New York, USA
Summary:
Keeping track of data today is very important and the quality of the data is very important. For example in a clinic the data needs to be accurate taken from patients. USHER provides a theoretical, data-driven foundation for improving data quality during entry. Based on prior data, USHER learns a probabilistic model of the dependencies between form questions and values.
The best form designs include pre-determined constraints to reject or warn the user when they enter unlikely or illegal values. Some designs even insert cross-validation questions to double-check the accuracy of some questions. This double-check is something like a birthday entry field along with age.
The model USHER uses a given a subset of answers for a form and tries to accurately predict values for the unanswered questions. USHER also creates the ordering of questions on the form. This can be viewed like the game twenty-questions. You can narrow the answer down greatly depending on what order you ask the questions. USHER uses a static and a dynamic algorithm to select ordering.
 |
| USHER model |
To make filling out forms quicker widgets with either radio buttons, drop down menus, or auto-complete text fields were used based on the number of possible answers in the answer domain.
To test the technology and methods a study was done with professional data entry clerks working with
real patient data from six clinics in rural Uganda. From the study the percent of errors increases as the domain size increased, which was highest for the drop down box and auto-complete form.
 |
| This is the normal process clerks go through to fill out forms, USHER is trying to shorten the this process |
A suggestion for improvement includes the double-entry method which a different study showed reduced errors but increased the time to fill out a form. The USHER is supposed to be the compromise between these two things.
Discussion:
I actually think the study done in this paper will be useful. Because data quality is very important in fields such as the engineering and medical fields it makes sense to find better and more efficient for clerks to record it. It's very interesting how the USHER model tries to predict answers based on previous answers. This is an interesting HCI subject because it deals with data quality which is important. It also effects people that may not have any relevant computer experience when it comes to this kind of interface, the clerks. It's up to the HCI community to implement this system and improve it.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Book Reading #23 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 6: Monkey Love
Summary:
This was about Harry Harlow's experiments with monkeys and how he thought he isolated the variables of love. Earlier studies argued that hunger is a primitive drive, but Harlow showed that monkeys preferred a mother who was soft compared to one that was hard, cold, and had food. The experiment started to go bad when he realized the monkeys couldn't interact with each other normally and wouldn't mate. He even went as far as to see how motherless monkeys were at mothering. He noted that some were adequate and some even killed the offspring.
Discussion:
I'm not entirely sure what to think of this experiment. For science I think the beginning of the experiment is alright, but I just hate the idea of separating babies from their mothers. I think he went to far though when he used his "Iron Maiden" and made the monkeys reproduce knowing that something bad and violent could happen to the offspring.
Summary:
This was about Harry Harlow's experiments with monkeys and how he thought he isolated the variables of love. Earlier studies argued that hunger is a primitive drive, but Harlow showed that monkeys preferred a mother who was soft compared to one that was hard, cold, and had food. The experiment started to go bad when he realized the monkeys couldn't interact with each other normally and wouldn't mate. He even went as far as to see how motherless monkeys were at mothering. He noted that some were adequate and some even killed the offspring.
Discussion:
I'm not entirely sure what to think of this experiment. For science I think the beginning of the experiment is alright, but I just hate the idea of separating babies from their mothers. I think he went to far though when he used his "Iron Maiden" and made the monkeys reproduce knowing that something bad and violent could happen to the offspring.
Book Reading #22 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 7: Formal Sex Relations
Summary:
Different types of sex-relations are discussed. There are 3 different types of sex relations which are recognized by the community. Marriage, love affairs between unmarried young people, and adultery. For the unmarried there 3 forms of relationships. The clandestine encounter, the published elopement, and the ceremonious courtship. There is one more on the edge which is called moetotolo, which is almost like rape. The different characteristics of these relationships and how the village reacts are further discussed. Virginity is also discussed and how it makes a girl more attractive.
Discussion:
This was an interesting chapter because it gives insight to the more intimate side of the Samoan culture. The thing I found most interesting was the presence of what they call moetotolo and the story of how the girl caught the boy and bit off a piece of his lavalava. The boy showed up the next day with the same lavalava and became the laughing stock of the village.
Summary:
Different types of sex-relations are discussed. There are 3 different types of sex relations which are recognized by the community. Marriage, love affairs between unmarried young people, and adultery. For the unmarried there 3 forms of relationships. The clandestine encounter, the published elopement, and the ceremonious courtship. There is one more on the edge which is called moetotolo, which is almost like rape. The different characteristics of these relationships and how the village reacts are further discussed. Virginity is also discussed and how it makes a girl more attractive.
Discussion:
This was an interesting chapter because it gives insight to the more intimate side of the Samoan culture. The thing I found most interesting was the presence of what they call moetotolo and the story of how the girl caught the boy and bit off a piece of his lavalava. The boy showed up the next day with the same lavalava and became the laughing stock of the village.
Book Reading #21 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 7: User-Centered Design
Summary:
This chapter attempts to put all of the previous chapters together to show how to make a design for the user. It is shown how such things as constraints, mapping, knowledge, conceptual models, and standardization. These along with a couple of other points are discussed to better design things for the user. Other scenarios are also talked about such as when to make things more difficult.
Discussion:
In my opinion this is the most helpful chapter in terms of information. There's a lot in this chapter I agree with and it would take me forever to discuss. However, I do think the most important part is at the beginning of the chapter when he says you should make sure 1) the user can figure out what to do and 2) the user can tell what's going on.
Summary:
This chapter attempts to put all of the previous chapters together to show how to make a design for the user. It is shown how such things as constraints, mapping, knowledge, conceptual models, and standardization. These along with a couple of other points are discussed to better design things for the user. Other scenarios are also talked about such as when to make things more difficult.
Discussion:
In my opinion this is the most helpful chapter in terms of information. There's a lot in this chapter I agree with and it would take me forever to discuss. However, I do think the most important part is at the beginning of the chapter when he says you should make sure 1) the user can figure out what to do and 2) the user can tell what's going on.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Ethnogrophy Results - Week 2
From my team's proposal we said we would each pick a subcategory on reddit.com and look further into the trends and behavior within it. I picked the 'Science' category because I want to see what kind of interesting stuff is posted and how people respond.
As far as qualitative and quantitative data goes, I haven't taken much down. My goal this week was to observe the science section and see what kind of data could possibly be taken from it. For week 3 it would be decided as a team what kind of data we could pool together from our different sections.
First Impression About the 'Science' Section
The first thing I noticed was that space topics are very popular but overall I saw a very wide variety of subjects. Commenting on the posts also seems popular, most of them have hundreds of comments. After skimming through the comments of several posts I noticed most of them to just be small remarks, some even unrelated to the subject. One thing I found interesting about this website is that when you click on a post, most of the time it takes you to a different website where the data was officially taken from. In the science section I saw a lot of NASA and Discovery content. This is cool because it makes the information more credible.
What Kind of Data Can Be Used?
I think for the science section it would be cool to keep track of how popular certain subjects are. Such as how many health and space topics are discussed. Keeping track of comments could help provide insight on how the user's interact and if there is any special etiquite for the site. Seeing how many people take the post seriously or how many people feel the need to re-rail the conversation and how many people go along with it?
Week 3 Plans
For week 3 I plan to take down a lot of data and see if there are any connections with the other sections of the site. We can see if each section has different behavior based on the comments related to the material. My group data and information can also be pooled together to put together a starting analysis for our study of this website.
As far as qualitative and quantitative data goes, I haven't taken much down. My goal this week was to observe the science section and see what kind of data could possibly be taken from it. For week 3 it would be decided as a team what kind of data we could pool together from our different sections.
First Impression About the 'Science' Section
The first thing I noticed was that space topics are very popular but overall I saw a very wide variety of subjects. Commenting on the posts also seems popular, most of them have hundreds of comments. After skimming through the comments of several posts I noticed most of them to just be small remarks, some even unrelated to the subject. One thing I found interesting about this website is that when you click on a post, most of the time it takes you to a different website where the data was officially taken from. In the science section I saw a lot of NASA and Discovery content. This is cool because it makes the information more credible.
What Kind of Data Can Be Used?
I think for the science section it would be cool to keep track of how popular certain subjects are. Such as how many health and space topics are discussed. Keeping track of comments could help provide insight on how the user's interact and if there is any special etiquite for the site. Seeing how many people take the post seriously or how many people feel the need to re-rail the conversation and how many people go along with it?
Week 3 Plans
For week 3 I plan to take down a lot of data and see if there are any connections with the other sections of the site. We can see if each section has different behavior based on the comments related to the material. My group data and information can also be pooled together to put together a starting analysis for our study of this website.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Paper Reading #8: Exploring mobile technologies for the urban homeless
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: Exploring Mobile Technologies for the Urban Homeless
Authors: Christopher A. Le Dantec
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
This paper focused on the practical and social impact of technology on the urban homeless. Two studies were done to better understand digital technologies impact. The first one was to look at homelessness as a context for design and the other was to look at the context of the non-profit organization and their constraints.
In the first study of designing technology for the homeless mobile phones proved the most useful. The study showed how to address technology for this community. Culturally situated efforts proved to be more important when addressing means of access and economically focused efforts not as important.
In the second study field work and interviews were done at two non-profit agencies. In these agencies there was a high reliance on volunteer workers. There is a need for a better workflow system.
A Community Resource Map(CRM) was used to better understand how mobile technologies are used with the constraints of the homeless. The CRM mapped information about places of interest for the homeless, such as soup kitchens and shelters. Real time data was also added and the CRM was given the group of homeless that the author was working with. The CRM was used to examine three things, legibility, literacy, and legitimacy.
Legibility is studied by observing the ways the homeless understand and interpret access to certain services based on their location, need, and identity. Literacy is studied by observing how the homeless use an added capability to a familiar technology, the mobile phone. Legitimacy is studied by looking at the ways legitamcy influences legibility caused by this technology.
Discussion:
I think that this paper proposes an interesting idea but a strange one. The best thing that I can think of is that it discusses designing new technology for a different group of people that have large constraints. This could be helpful if the group of people the technology is being designed for is large enough and can afford it. I'm not saying I'm against helping the homeless because I do think this would be helpful to this group of people but would probably change greatly from city to city. I think factors such as how many homeless people are in an area and how far they have to travel for certain things could affect the study greatly. This study was done in Atlanta, which is a large city.
Reference Information:
Title: Exploring Mobile Technologies for the Urban Homeless
Authors: Christopher A. Le Dantec
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
This paper focused on the practical and social impact of technology on the urban homeless. Two studies were done to better understand digital technologies impact. The first one was to look at homelessness as a context for design and the other was to look at the context of the non-profit organization and their constraints.
In the first study of designing technology for the homeless mobile phones proved the most useful. The study showed how to address technology for this community. Culturally situated efforts proved to be more important when addressing means of access and economically focused efforts not as important.
In the second study field work and interviews were done at two non-profit agencies. In these agencies there was a high reliance on volunteer workers. There is a need for a better workflow system.
A Community Resource Map(CRM) was used to better understand how mobile technologies are used with the constraints of the homeless. The CRM mapped information about places of interest for the homeless, such as soup kitchens and shelters. Real time data was also added and the CRM was given the group of homeless that the author was working with. The CRM was used to examine three things, legibility, literacy, and legitimacy.
Legibility is studied by observing the ways the homeless understand and interpret access to certain services based on their location, need, and identity. Literacy is studied by observing how the homeless use an added capability to a familiar technology, the mobile phone. Legitimacy is studied by looking at the ways legitamcy influences legibility caused by this technology.
Discussion:
I think that this paper proposes an interesting idea but a strange one. The best thing that I can think of is that it discusses designing new technology for a different group of people that have large constraints. This could be helpful if the group of people the technology is being designed for is large enough and can afford it. I'm not saying I'm against helping the homeless because I do think this would be helpful to this group of people but would probably change greatly from city to city. I think factors such as how many homeless people are in an area and how far they have to travel for certain things could affect the study greatly. This study was done in Atlanta, which is a large city.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Book Reading #17 - HCI Remixed
Chapter 6: A Creative Programming Environment
Summary:
This chapter was about the idea of work in the HCI that could profoundly change the field. The example used was Pygmalion and describes how it was innovative and how we can learn from it and it's situation.
Discussion:
I think it's important to always keep in mind the possibility of something new emerging or thinking of something yourself that can have a major impact.
Chapter 7: Fundamentals in HCI: Learning the Value of Consistency and User Models
Summary:
This chapter was about the document 'Xerox Red Book' and it's influence on user interface design. The overall design principles that are described in xerox book are seeing vs. remembering, what you see is what you get(WYSIWYG), universal commands, simplicity, modeless interacton, and user tailorability. This book can still be used as an important grounding for user interface design.
Discussion:
The main point of this was to stress the importance of user interface design. The xerox book can be used as a guide to this kind of design. I think it's important for good references to be availabe for this design because it is usually the most important part of the program because it's how most users will judge the software.
Chapter 9: The Disappearing Computer
Summary:
A computer should essentialy disappear from society because they get woven into our lives. This is what is meant by the phrase 'the disappearing computer'. They can physically disappear or mentally disappear based on how it is designed. Physically technology and hardware can get smaller so it is not noticable. The technology or hardware could also disappear mentally which means it is unoticed in our lives because they seem like ordinary objects. An example of this mental disappearance is the dynawall where people can interact with a wall pretty much. It is also mentioned that the field is called HCI but it is important to note most users don't want to interact with computers but rather with information or other humans, which implies HII or HHI.
Discussion:
This is a good way to think of how we should design projects. Technology is a fundamental part of our society now and things need to be designed to not be a hinderance. The first project the author talks about was the Liveboard which was a big box with an interactive board. This was used as a stepping stone to greater designs that seemed more and more to disappear.
Chapter 10: It Really Is All About Location!
Summary:
Location-based service devices are a huge part of society today. Being able to track locations is extremely useful and important. The first project to use this locatoin-based service was called the Active Badge location system. People could be tracked through an interface by simply wearing a badge. This was the first time somebody could easily be tracked without the person doing anything. This project arguably created context-aware computing.
Discussion:
Because this service is used in so many devices today I think this was interesting to read about. As I was reading I kept thinking about privacy issues and how it would suck to be constantly tracked even if you were doing nothing wrong, the idea just bugged me. The author said though that the privacy issue was addressed and the badge could just be removed. The interface could also give a probability of where to find somebody if they weren't being tracked, that's interesting.
Chapter 46: The Essential Role of Mental Models in HCI: Card, Moran, and Newell
Summary:
The idea of mental models brought up in the book 'The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction' and its impact on HCI is discussed in this chapte. This book is important because it provided a testable theory that bridged the gap between pyschological theories of human processing and interface design. Mental models in HCI are used for the user's representation of a system and the design of a system between the user's prospective and the systems construction. The type of model discussed is called GOMS, which stands for Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection Rules. This work has caused tension in the HCI field between psychologists, computer scientists, engineers, and designers.
Discussion:
I think a user model is very important. In my mind the way the viewer uses the program is the most important part of a project. Having a mental model can help make things easier. I don't care much for the psychology behind it but I do believe that it exists.
Chapter 47: A Most Fitting Law
Summary:
HCI doesn't have very many laws, most of HCI is based on qualatative methods. Fitts's law is one of the few laws and it can be summarized as MT = a + b logbase2(2A/W). MT is movement time, b is empirically determined constants, A = distance of movement, W = width of the target. The law states a precise prediction about how movement and target characteristics are related. This law became interesting when a windowed interface came about with cursor controled devices.
Discussion:
This was interesting to read because I read the technical paper about Fitts's Law for this class a couple of weeks ago. This law is the only one I've heard about in HCI. It shows how in user interface design this law can be used to help with certain design aspects such as pull down menus. With Fittsizing there is a 20 percent increase in size per item which increases the speed of selection.
Summary:
This chapter was about the idea of work in the HCI that could profoundly change the field. The example used was Pygmalion and describes how it was innovative and how we can learn from it and it's situation.
Discussion:
I think it's important to always keep in mind the possibility of something new emerging or thinking of something yourself that can have a major impact.
Chapter 7: Fundamentals in HCI: Learning the Value of Consistency and User Models
Summary:
This chapter was about the document 'Xerox Red Book' and it's influence on user interface design. The overall design principles that are described in xerox book are seeing vs. remembering, what you see is what you get(WYSIWYG), universal commands, simplicity, modeless interacton, and user tailorability. This book can still be used as an important grounding for user interface design.
Discussion:
The main point of this was to stress the importance of user interface design. The xerox book can be used as a guide to this kind of design. I think it's important for good references to be availabe for this design because it is usually the most important part of the program because it's how most users will judge the software.
Chapter 9: The Disappearing Computer
Summary:
A computer should essentialy disappear from society because they get woven into our lives. This is what is meant by the phrase 'the disappearing computer'. They can physically disappear or mentally disappear based on how it is designed. Physically technology and hardware can get smaller so it is not noticable. The technology or hardware could also disappear mentally which means it is unoticed in our lives because they seem like ordinary objects. An example of this mental disappearance is the dynawall where people can interact with a wall pretty much. It is also mentioned that the field is called HCI but it is important to note most users don't want to interact with computers but rather with information or other humans, which implies HII or HHI.
Discussion:
This is a good way to think of how we should design projects. Technology is a fundamental part of our society now and things need to be designed to not be a hinderance. The first project the author talks about was the Liveboard which was a big box with an interactive board. This was used as a stepping stone to greater designs that seemed more and more to disappear.
Chapter 10: It Really Is All About Location!
Summary:
Location-based service devices are a huge part of society today. Being able to track locations is extremely useful and important. The first project to use this locatoin-based service was called the Active Badge location system. People could be tracked through an interface by simply wearing a badge. This was the first time somebody could easily be tracked without the person doing anything. This project arguably created context-aware computing.
Discussion:
Because this service is used in so many devices today I think this was interesting to read about. As I was reading I kept thinking about privacy issues and how it would suck to be constantly tracked even if you were doing nothing wrong, the idea just bugged me. The author said though that the privacy issue was addressed and the badge could just be removed. The interface could also give a probability of where to find somebody if they weren't being tracked, that's interesting.
Chapter 46: The Essential Role of Mental Models in HCI: Card, Moran, and Newell
Summary:
The idea of mental models brought up in the book 'The Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction' and its impact on HCI is discussed in this chapte. This book is important because it provided a testable theory that bridged the gap between pyschological theories of human processing and interface design. Mental models in HCI are used for the user's representation of a system and the design of a system between the user's prospective and the systems construction. The type of model discussed is called GOMS, which stands for Goals, Operators, Methods, and Selection Rules. This work has caused tension in the HCI field between psychologists, computer scientists, engineers, and designers.
Discussion:
I think a user model is very important. In my mind the way the viewer uses the program is the most important part of a project. Having a mental model can help make things easier. I don't care much for the psychology behind it but I do believe that it exists.
Chapter 47: A Most Fitting Law
Summary:
HCI doesn't have very many laws, most of HCI is based on qualatative methods. Fitts's law is one of the few laws and it can be summarized as MT = a + b logbase2(2A/W). MT is movement time, b is empirically determined constants, A = distance of movement, W = width of the target. The law states a precise prediction about how movement and target characteristics are related. This law became interesting when a windowed interface came about with cursor controled devices.
Discussion:
This was interesting to read because I read the technical paper about Fitts's Law for this class a couple of weeks ago. This law is the only one I've heard about in HCI. It shows how in user interface design this law can be used to help with certain design aspects such as pull down menus. With Fittsizing there is a 20 percent increase in size per item which increases the speed of selection.
Friday, February 11, 2011
Ethnography Proposal - Updated
Project Group Members
Aaron Kirkes
Adam Friedli
Patrick Frith
Aaron Kirkes
Adam Friedli
Patrick Frith
The Group
An idea we came up with is to study reddit.com. This site is a general posting site where the postings gain a ranking with a thumbs up or thumbs down given by each user, and this affects how close to the top of the lists of postings the post is. The posts can range from notable news topics to humorous items from the internet to people being bored and posting that they are staying awake for 72 hours and are asking for people to tell them things to do. These are a few examples we saw perusing for about 10 minutes. We have not had any other prior experience with this website.
An idea we came up with is to study reddit.com. This site is a general posting site where the postings gain a ranking with a thumbs up or thumbs down given by each user, and this affects how close to the top of the lists of postings the post is. The posts can range from notable news topics to humorous items from the internet to people being bored and posting that they are staying awake for 72 hours and are asking for people to tell them things to do. These are a few examples we saw perusing for about 10 minutes. We have not had any other prior experience with this website.
The Learning
We hope to find out if there is any specific etiquette or behavior people are expected to abide by on the site. Does breaking news make it to reddit before it makes it to other mediums? Are there people who post regularly on reddit, and if so, what exactly makes them popular? How are these people consistently appealing to the general populace? What is the general behavior in specific categories on the site? How do people tend to react to comments from a normal account versus a novelty account?
We hope to find out if there is any specific etiquette or behavior people are expected to abide by on the site. Does breaking news make it to reddit before it makes it to other mediums? Are there people who post regularly on reddit, and if so, what exactly makes them popular? How are these people consistently appealing to the general populace? What is the general behavior in specific categories on the site? How do people tend to react to comments from a normal account versus a novelty account?
The Studying
Since this is an online website, it should be very easy to observe at least two hours per week. Each of us plan on making a normal account and a novelty account. We will also each choose a specific, smaller category to monitor as well. We can pool our results as well, and try to find trends of midday postings versus late night postings.
Since this is an online website, it should be very easy to observe at least two hours per week. Each of us plan on making a normal account and a novelty account. We will also each choose a specific, smaller category to monitor as well. We can pool our results as well, and try to find trends of midday postings versus late night postings.
Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Quantitative data can be the number of postings of a certain kind, such as newsworthy postings versus humorous postings versus general nonsense postings. We can also keep track of the rankings of our comments and postings from both the normal and novelty accounts. Qualitative can fall into the types of postings and what the more successful postings possess that the others do not. We will keep track of how people react to our comments and postings and how they react in each of our categories of interest.
Quantitative data can be the number of postings of a certain kind, such as newsworthy postings versus humorous postings versus general nonsense postings. We can also keep track of the rankings of our comments and postings from both the normal and novelty accounts. Qualitative can fall into the types of postings and what the more successful postings possess that the others do not. We will keep track of how people react to our comments and postings and how they react in each of our categories of interest.
Interaction
We can comment in the more general areas and in the specific categories of interest we choose. We could even create posts asking some questions that the readings bring up, such as what people think of Milgram’s shock experiment, or any other ideas that might come to mind. If these posts are successful, they might even be able to become part of the data for the study. We will initially stick to commenting on already created posts, but we can certainly make our own posts when it makes sense to do so.
We can comment in the more general areas and in the specific categories of interest we choose. We could even create posts asking some questions that the readings bring up, such as what people think of Milgram’s shock experiment, or any other ideas that might come to mind. If these posts are successful, they might even be able to become part of the data for the study. We will initially stick to commenting on already created posts, but we can certainly make our own posts when it makes sense to do so.
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Paper Reading #7: Public Issues on Projected User Interface
Comments:
Chris Kam
Adam Friedli
Reference Information:
Title: Public Issues on Projected User Interface
Authors: Ju-Chun Ko, Li-Wei Chan, Yi-Ping Hung
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
This paper discusses projection technology and how the environment and the social aspect of our lives. Mobile devices that can actually project media in a public space can cause several problems.
The first topic discussed is projection as an intruder. If somebody is in a public space, like a bus stop, and decides to sort his pictures with a PUI device it could be distracting to people around him. The question is brought up if bystanders have the right to refuse projection because the big display forces people to notice the content that is displayed. Also, the projection could easily invade somebodies personal space.
What if everybody in the future has a mobile pocket projector? This could cause problems with overlapping displays everywhere.
With so many projectors around there could be a problem with human rights. What if somebody is projecting on another person? There are suggestions of having people object to being projected on, or simply having sensors for people that don't want to be projected on. The sensor can detect the light and send a decline message to the device.
Light pollution in the form of glare can come from these devices. The solution discussed is have the device detect if a human face in its projection field and darken these regions.
Discussion:
This paper seemed kind of ridiculous. I could see how this would be an issue but it just seemed kind of weird. The scenarios from the pictures are many people walking around with projector devices attached to their chests and invading space and bothering people. If this were the case I could understand. If it turns out to be like this then I agree this may need to be addressed. It just seems like a weird topic to actually write a paper about and be legit.
I would argue that most people keep to themselves anyways and would prefer not to project things from their devices in a public space.
Chris Kam
Adam Friedli
Reference Information:
Title: Public Issues on Projected User Interface
Authors: Ju-Chun Ko, Li-Wei Chan, Yi-Ping Hung
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
This paper discusses projection technology and how the environment and the social aspect of our lives. Mobile devices that can actually project media in a public space can cause several problems.
The first topic discussed is projection as an intruder. If somebody is in a public space, like a bus stop, and decides to sort his pictures with a PUI device it could be distracting to people around him. The question is brought up if bystanders have the right to refuse projection because the big display forces people to notice the content that is displayed. Also, the projection could easily invade somebodies personal space.
With so many projectors around there could be a problem with human rights. What if somebody is projecting on another person? There are suggestions of having people object to being projected on, or simply having sensors for people that don't want to be projected on. The sensor can detect the light and send a decline message to the device.
Light pollution in the form of glare can come from these devices. The solution discussed is have the device detect if a human face in its projection field and darken these regions.
This paper seemed kind of ridiculous. I could see how this would be an issue but it just seemed kind of weird. The scenarios from the pictures are many people walking around with projector devices attached to their chests and invading space and bothering people. If this were the case I could understand. If it turns out to be like this then I agree this may need to be addressed. It just seems like a weird topic to actually write a paper about and be legit.
I would argue that most people keep to themselves anyways and would prefer not to project things from their devices in a public space.
Book Reading #16 - Opening Skinner's Box
Chapter 4: In the Unlikely Event of a Water Landing
Summary:
This chapter talked about the experiments of Darley and Latane. The experiments did the opposite of Skinner's by dealing with authority when there is none around. One experiment dealt with people who couldn't see each other or communicate with each other, they could only hear each other. The experiment simulated a seizur to see how people reacted. The more people involved in the experiment, the less likely it was for people to get help. The second experiment put people in a room and was then filled with smoke from a vent. Along with the subjects there was an actor that was instructed to not react to the smoke. When the actor acted normal the study showed that people tried to stay calm like him and kind of ignore the smoke. When the actor was removed most of the people reacted to the smoke and recognized the need to get help.
Discussion:
Like the other chapters this was very interesting. All of these experiments are very fascinating to read about because they show some of the major reactions humans show under strange cirumstances. The study showed that educated people more than uneducated people will try to get help in these situations. I don't understand because it seems like most of these should be dealt with by being human. That's kind of hard to describe but if you were getting hurt wouldn't you want to be helped?
Summary:
This chapter talked about the experiments of Darley and Latane. The experiments did the opposite of Skinner's by dealing with authority when there is none around. One experiment dealt with people who couldn't see each other or communicate with each other, they could only hear each other. The experiment simulated a seizur to see how people reacted. The more people involved in the experiment, the less likely it was for people to get help. The second experiment put people in a room and was then filled with smoke from a vent. Along with the subjects there was an actor that was instructed to not react to the smoke. When the actor acted normal the study showed that people tried to stay calm like him and kind of ignore the smoke. When the actor was removed most of the people reacted to the smoke and recognized the need to get help.
Discussion:
Like the other chapters this was very interesting. All of these experiments are very fascinating to read about because they show some of the major reactions humans show under strange cirumstances. The study showed that educated people more than uneducated people will try to get help in these situations. I don't understand because it seems like most of these should be dealt with by being human. That's kind of hard to describe but if you were getting hurt wouldn't you want to be helped?
Book Reading #15 - Coming of Age in Samoa
Chapter 5: The Girl and Her Age Group
Summary:
This chapter talks about the younger stages of child life, mainly girls but boys some, and some of there tendencies after puberty. It talks about how they form groups that are like 'gangs' and are based on age. For young girls before puberty they don't have this grouping because of what the author says is 'individual nature of their tasks'. Boys however have more freedom and their activities support co-operation.
Discussion:
This chapter was not very interesting for me to read but it is an important chapter. It shows how the children group themselves and what else could influence this grouping like age, rank, and prospective rank.
Summary:
This chapter talks about the younger stages of child life, mainly girls but boys some, and some of there tendencies after puberty. It talks about how they form groups that are like 'gangs' and are based on age. For young girls before puberty they don't have this grouping because of what the author says is 'individual nature of their tasks'. Boys however have more freedom and their activities support co-operation.
Discussion:
This chapter was not very interesting for me to read but it is an important chapter. It shows how the children group themselves and what else could influence this grouping like age, rank, and prospective rank.
Book Reading #14 - Design of Everyday Things
Chapter 5: To Err is Human
Summary:
There are many kinds of errors humans make. These are categorized into slips and mistakes. Human thought is discussed as a reason for mistakes. There are certain ways to deal with these errors such as making forcing functions in designs. The best way to approach these errors in design is to always think about the interaction between person and machine.
Discussion:
I always like reading about the examples the author gives in the chapters to relate to what he's talking about. I think the psychology behind why we make slips and mistakes is very interesting. If we are around something a lot and then encounter something similar, it is easy to make a slip. In the case of design if there are two functions that are very closely related close together it would be easy to make a slip.
Summary:
There are many kinds of errors humans make. These are categorized into slips and mistakes. Human thought is discussed as a reason for mistakes. There are certain ways to deal with these errors such as making forcing functions in designs. The best way to approach these errors in design is to always think about the interaction between person and machine.
Discussion:
I always like reading about the examples the author gives in the chapters to relate to what he's talking about. I think the psychology behind why we make slips and mistakes is very interesting. If we are around something a lot and then encounter something similar, it is easy to make a slip. In the case of design if there are two functions that are very closely related close together it would be easy to make a slip.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Paper Reading #6: Who are the Crowdworkers? Shifting Demographics in Mechanical Turk
Comments:
Adam Friedli
Wesley Konderla
Reference Information:
Title: Who are the Crowdworkers? Shifting Demographics in Mechanical Turk
Authors: Joel Ross, Andrew Zaldivar, Lilly Irani, Bill Tomlinson, M. Six Silberman
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing system in which tasks are distributed to a population of thousands of anonymous workers for completion. The work is usually a simple tasks that computer would have a hard time doing, such as labeling an image. People who request work to be done create Human Intelligence Tasks, or HITs, specifying the amount paid for the job's completion which can be as little as $0.01 but higher for more involved jobs. Amazon reports that the system has now more than 400,000 workers registered, and there are about 50,000-100,000 HITs to work on at any given time.
MTurk is becoming popular as a research tool. Researchers can post HITs for their studies and people can participate anonymously.
The purpose of the paper was to show that the MTurk workforce is shifting towards a more international user base and more people are relying on the system as a full-time or part-time job.
The method used for the study was survey. An HIT was created and $0.10 was paid for anybody who did the survey. This information may or may not be valid because the user could have entered false information or information that they believed the HIT creator wanted to hear.
Results from the survey show that the Turker population is becoming increasingly international, particularly with workers from India. The Turker population is becoming younger too, the average age is about 31 years old. The survey also shows that the number of lower income workers has increased. There is also a discussion about US Turks vs Indian Turks.
Discussion:
This paper was interesting to read because for me it looks like a different way to earn money that I haven't heard of. The market is growing and it's cool to see how it is linked to research. I feel the system itself is linked to HCI and is based around it's design. How this is handled as the market grows larger will be interesting to check on, if there are any changes at all.
Adam Friedli
Wesley Konderla
Reference Information:
Title: Who are the Crowdworkers? Shifting Demographics in Mechanical Turk
Authors: Joel Ross, Andrew Zaldivar, Lilly Irani, Bill Tomlinson, M. Six Silberman
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) is a crowdsourcing system in which tasks are distributed to a population of thousands of anonymous workers for completion. The work is usually a simple tasks that computer would have a hard time doing, such as labeling an image. People who request work to be done create Human Intelligence Tasks, or HITs, specifying the amount paid for the job's completion which can be as little as $0.01 but higher for more involved jobs. Amazon reports that the system has now more than 400,000 workers registered, and there are about 50,000-100,000 HITs to work on at any given time.MTurk is becoming popular as a research tool. Researchers can post HITs for their studies and people can participate anonymously.
The purpose of the paper was to show that the MTurk workforce is shifting towards a more international user base and more people are relying on the system as a full-time or part-time job.
The method used for the study was survey. An HIT was created and $0.10 was paid for anybody who did the survey. This information may or may not be valid because the user could have entered false information or information that they believed the HIT creator wanted to hear.
Results from the survey show that the Turker population is becoming increasingly international, particularly with workers from India. The Turker population is becoming younger too, the average age is about 31 years old. The survey also shows that the number of lower income workers has increased. There is also a discussion about US Turks vs Indian Turks.
Discussion:
This paper was interesting to read because for me it looks like a different way to earn money that I haven't heard of. The market is growing and it's cool to see how it is linked to research. I feel the system itself is linked to HCI and is based around it's design. How this is handled as the market grows larger will be interesting to check on, if there are any changes at all.
Week 1 Ethnography Results - Reddit.com First Impression
As a group we're still trying to figure out if this idea will work or not. At first glance it seems like there is a culture to this community. It's only a website but there is a ton of user interaction. Some of the posts are garbage but quite a few I found interesting. I want to find out what this community finds interesting and how they react to certain material. Personally, I think further investigation between the relationship of the user to the community can make a pretty decent and interesting ethnography. I haven't had a ton of time to look into the website but I think by the end of this week we should know for sure if this idea will work or not.
Ethnography Proposal
Project Group Members:
Aaron Kirkes
Adam Friedli
Patrick Frith
The Group
An idea we came up with is to study reddit.com. This site is a general posting site where the postings gain a ranking with a thumbs up or thumbs down given by each user, and this affects how close to the top of the lists of postings the post is. The posts can range from notable news topics to humorous items from the internet to people being bored and posting that they are staying awake for 72 hours and are asking for people to tell them things to do. These are a few examples we saw perusing for about 10 minutes. We have not had any other prior experience with this website.
Aaron Kirkes
Adam Friedli
Patrick Frith
The Group
An idea we came up with is to study reddit.com. This site is a general posting site where the postings gain a ranking with a thumbs up or thumbs down given by each user, and this affects how close to the top of the lists of postings the post is. The posts can range from notable news topics to humorous items from the internet to people being bored and posting that they are staying awake for 72 hours and are asking for people to tell them things to do. These are a few examples we saw perusing for about 10 minutes. We have not had any other prior experience with this website.
The Learning
We hope to find out if there is any specific etiquette or behavior people are expected to abide by on the site. Are there things people can do to be viewed of as a noob or inexperienced user? What are the general posting trends? Does breaking news make it to reddit before it makes it to other mediums? Are there people who post regularly on reddit, and if so, what exactly makes them popular? How are these people consistently appealing to the general populace? We can come up with other ideas as we observe over time.
We hope to find out if there is any specific etiquette or behavior people are expected to abide by on the site. Are there things people can do to be viewed of as a noob or inexperienced user? What are the general posting trends? Does breaking news make it to reddit before it makes it to other mediums? Are there people who post regularly on reddit, and if so, what exactly makes them popular? How are these people consistently appealing to the general populace? We can come up with other ideas as we observe over time.
The Studying
Since this is an online website, it should be very easy to observe at least two hours per week. We would say even a couple hours each day should be quite easy to accomplish, depending on the workload given for other classes. We can pool our results as well, and try to find trends of midday postings versus late night posting.
Since this is an online website, it should be very easy to observe at least two hours per week. We would say even a couple hours each day should be quite easy to accomplish, depending on the workload given for other classes. We can pool our results as well, and try to find trends of midday postings versus late night posting.
Quantitative and Qualitative Data
Quantitative data can be the number of postings of a certain kind, such as newsworthy postings versus humorous postings versus general nonsense postings. Qualitative can fall into the types of postings and what the more successful postings possess that the others do not.
Quantitative data can be the number of postings of a certain kind, such as newsworthy postings versus humorous postings versus general nonsense postings. Qualitative can fall into the types of postings and what the more successful postings possess that the others do not.
Interaction
Once we gain a general understanding of how posts are laid out, we could make a post about this very project for class asking how people view reddit.com. We could even ask some questions that the readings bring up, such as what people think of Milgram’s shock experiment, or any other ideas that might come to mind. If these posts are successful, they might even be able to become part of the data for the study.
Once we gain a general understanding of how posts are laid out, we could make a post about this very project for class asking how people view reddit.com. We could even ask some questions that the readings bring up, such as what people think of Milgram’s shock experiment, or any other ideas that might come to mind. If these posts are successful, they might even be able to become part of the data for the study.
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Dr. Celine Latulipe - DanceDraw
After Dr. Hammond talked about Dr. Latulipe's Dance Draw project and told us to learn a little more about her her I decided to look into that project a little further.
The project has a website, http://www.celinelatulipe.com/DanceDraw/Dance.Draw.html, and there you can see and read what they are doing and view some of the technology behind it. Some of the technology used includes a pair of Logitech MX Air mice, which is cool because that type of mouse doesn't need a hard surface to track, it can track in mid air.
This project links art with computers in a way I haven't heard of before. I'm curious to see how she describes this project further and what else can come from it (if she decides to talk about it tomorrow).
The project has a website, http://www.celinelatulipe.com/DanceDraw/Dance.Draw.html, and there you can see and read what they are doing and view some of the technology behind it. Some of the technology used includes a pair of Logitech MX Air mice, which is cool because that type of mouse doesn't need a hard surface to track, it can track in mid air.
This project links art with computers in a way I haven't heard of before. I'm curious to see how she describes this project further and what else can come from it (if she decides to talk about it tomorrow).
Paper Reading #5: Connect 2 Congress: Visual Analytics for Civic Oversight
Comments:
Reference Information:
Title: Connect 2 Congress: Visual Analytics for Civic Oversight
Authors: Peter Kinnaird, Mario Romero, Gregory Abowd
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
The first part of this paper talks about how it is important to get information out to voters so they can make informed decisions. This paper deals with something called a "Roll Call". A roll call vote takes place in the US Congress and require the representative to explicitly select one of three options (Yes, No, Present), which then becomes a matter of public record.
Because this data system is very large and complex a visualization system called Connect 2 Congress was designed to reduce this complexity.
C2C provides the community with a visualization system to explore data and it's changes over time. It is a web application that can run in any modern browser. C2C displays all of it's data on a vertical timeline where light gray tick marks mark dates during which voting occurred. There are two green triangles where the user can select a timespan for desired data. The API and more of its more complex features are discussed further in this paper.
Different users can find different uses for C2C. An evaluation was done with a focus group that would find C2C useful. This is what was found from each different type of user. Social Scientists and historians could visually explore and analyze both individual and group behavior in great detail. Political Strategists and Politicians could spot trends and changes in behavior at both the individual and group level. Strategies could also be evaluated for effectiveness. Journalists could spot trends and behavior to verify or reject claims. Informed voters could get unbiased information about candidates' actions.
This system has two primary contributions. First, political science is merged with HCI. Second, a general technique for making voting records accessible.
Discussion:
This paper was actually kind of a relief. In my previous blogs I could see how the subject would relate to HCI but it wasn't specified in full detail in the paper. For this paper software is actually used and described to connect with political science. C2C seems pretty useful because you can see how people are voting and what the trends are. This could be very important and useful to certain people. I don't think political science is an interesting subject at all but after reading a little about this software I might find it a little more interesting if I were able to use this program.
Reference Information:
Title: Connect 2 Congress: Visual Analytics for Civic Oversight
Authors: Peter Kinnaird, Mario Romero, Gregory Abowd
Presentation Venue: CHI 2010 April 10-15, 2010 Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Summary:
The first part of this paper talks about how it is important to get information out to voters so they can make informed decisions. This paper deals with something called a "Roll Call". A roll call vote takes place in the US Congress and require the representative to explicitly select one of three options (Yes, No, Present), which then becomes a matter of public record.
Because this data system is very large and complex a visualization system called Connect 2 Congress was designed to reduce this complexity.
 |
| C2C Interface |
C2C provides the community with a visualization system to explore data and it's changes over time. It is a web application that can run in any modern browser. C2C displays all of it's data on a vertical timeline where light gray tick marks mark dates during which voting occurred. There are two green triangles where the user can select a timespan for desired data. The API and more of its more complex features are discussed further in this paper.
Different users can find different uses for C2C. An evaluation was done with a focus group that would find C2C useful. This is what was found from each different type of user. Social Scientists and historians could visually explore and analyze both individual and group behavior in great detail. Political Strategists and Politicians could spot trends and changes in behavior at both the individual and group level. Strategies could also be evaluated for effectiveness. Journalists could spot trends and behavior to verify or reject claims. Informed voters could get unbiased information about candidates' actions.
This system has two primary contributions. First, political science is merged with HCI. Second, a general technique for making voting records accessible.
Discussion:
This paper was actually kind of a relief. In my previous blogs I could see how the subject would relate to HCI but it wasn't specified in full detail in the paper. For this paper software is actually used and described to connect with political science. C2C seems pretty useful because you can see how people are voting and what the trends are. This could be very important and useful to certain people. I don't think political science is an interesting subject at all but after reading a little about this software I might find it a little more interesting if I were able to use this program.
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